Fall of the House of Ramesses, Book 2: Seti

by Max Overton

  The first cataract is not far above Abu, where the river is squeezed between rocky walls and the sound of the cascading waters sounds like the roaring of lions. It was impossible to navigate up the cataract, but Sethi deployed our men and, hauling on stout ropes, brought the boat to the calmer waters of the river within northern Kush.

  Here we found Khaemter, King's Son of Kush, blocking the road south, the Kushite legion standing resolute at his back. It was pointless to sail past him, for that would mean leaving my men behind, so we disembarked and advanced on the Kushite legion in battle array, prepared for anything. In theory, Khaemter was my friend, but he was also a royal appointee, and may have decided to uphold my brother's claim. If that was the case, my struggle was over before it even began, for we were outnumbered three to one.

  We halted a hundred paces from the Kushite legion, and Khaemter advanced to meet us. Ten paces away he halted and stared piercingly at me before dropping to his knees and holding his arms out in supplication.

  "Welcome, Messuwy, Lord of the Two Lands. Kush waits to do your bidding."

  I smiled and, advancing, raised him to his feet and embraced him. The two legions, Loyal Amun and Kushite, cheered, and beat the hafts of their spears on their leather shields. I had come home to Kush, and soon I would hurl my army northward to conquer my brother.

  Chapter 7

  Year 1 of Userkheperure Seti

  Baenre Merenptah lay dreaming in the House of Purification in Men-nefer, his body stripped of every vestige of moisture by the natron bath and packed with costly aromatic spices and resins. His vital organs had been taken from his body and stored in four jars which would accompany him to the tomb, though his heart remained in its place within his chest and his brains, recognised as the source of the mucus that had drained from his nostrils during life, had been drawn out and discarded. The king would have no need of mucus in the afterlife.

  The body wrappers of the Place of Beauty had taken the king's body and reverently wrapped it in long lengths of pure white linen cloth while priests of all the gods intoned prayers or gave the embalmers scraps of papyrus on which were written protective prayers. These prayers were inserted into the folds of cloth, along with amulets that also offered protection. Resins were daubed on the cloth to stick them together and hold them in place, and when all had been accomplished, the wrapped body was placed in a series of gilded coffins, each fitting snugly inside the next largest, every coffin a work of great beauty and wealth.

  At last the old king was ready to face eternity and was loaded, with great ceremony, aboard the Royal Barge 'Wisdom of Ptah' for the king's last earthly voyage upriver to the dry valley known as Ta-sekhet-ma'at, the Great Field, where his tomb lay ready for him. Many people accompanied the old king, for there were many ceremonies yet to be conducted. Prince Seti, as Heir, remained beside his father, and made offerings to Re at the dawn of each day on his behalf, while priests of Re and Ptah offered up many prayers, dinning the ears of gods continually. Nobles, and lesser members of the royal family, followed in other boats, while the common folk gathered on the banks of the Great River to watch the flotilla of boats cruise slowly upriver, their sails outspread and catching the prevailing northerly winds.

  The ornate coffin enclosing the dead king was offloaded on the western funerary docks opposite the city of Waset. The city walls were bare, all the banners that normally adorned them or flew from above the gates of from the tall pylons of the temples, having been removed. A great gilded sledge, drawn by teams of oxen, hauled the body up into the dry valleys where soldiers guarded the Great Field wherein the kings of Kemet slept. Teams of masons waited by the tomb prepared for Baenre, the wooden door jambs of the tomb's many chambers and sloping corridors having been removed so the huge stone sarcophagi, four in number, could be hauled into place within the burial chamber. The masons put the finishing touches to blocks of stone that were crafted to dove-tail with each other and could be rapidly installed in place of the missing door jambs.

  The coffin was offloaded and eased down the first flight of stairs and into the first descending corridor. Every trace of dust and rubble had been removed, soot from the ceilings where years of smoking torches and oil lamps had left their marks scrubbed off, and the painted and carved inscriptions and pictures touched up so the colours gleamed brightly in the light of the torches brought into the tomb for the last time.

  Deep into the tomb the procession passed. Servants scurried to finish the last little touches, adding small items, dusting the funeral furniture, rearranging fresh food and drink on the offering tables. Rich wines, roasted meats, freshly baked bread, fruit and vegetables in abundance were prepared and placed within the tomb so the dead king would not hunger or thirst, nor lack for any of the worldly goods he had enjoyed during life.

  The gilded coffin was raised high and then lowered into the nested stone sarcophagi, the lid of each being raised and slid into place, offering the dead king layers of security so none could possibly disturb his slumber. Seti moved back to the chamber where the Ka statue stood, a representation of his dead father, and watched as the priests of the main gods, Amun, Re, Ptah, Asar and Anapa, washed the statue with pure river water. Lustrations of sacred oil followed, while prayers were chanted and incense burned.

  Then Bakenkhons, acting Hem-netjer of Amun, handed Seti a forked instrument of rose quartz. Seti took the Pesheskef and held it to the lips of the Ka statue, uttering the ancient prayers for the opening of the mouth. An adze made of the blue sky metal followed, the Seb Ur sceptre, held to the lips of the statue, and lastly the Ur Hekau sceptre.

  Now that the dead king's mouth had been opened, the Ka of Baenre could return from the underworld and partake of the spirit of the physical food and drink offerings left in the tomb. The burial party withdrew from the tomb, leaving the torches behind to gutter and die in the silent chambers. The masons fitted the new stone door jambs, the doors were closed, bricked up and layered with mortar and sealed one by one, the mourners slowly ascending back to the world of life that lay above. The final doors were sealed and the descending shaft filled with rubble.

  The funeral party made its way back to the green and growing world of life from the dry barren valleys of the Great Field, hurrying back to take care of the necessities of life, officials and soldiers to their duties, priests to their temples and sacrifices, and the masons to their village at the entrance of Ta-sekhet-ma'at, where they would prepare themselves for their next tomb.

  Seti drew Neferronpet and Bakenkhons to one side, ignoring the soldiers of his personal guard who stood nearby.

  "Any word of Messuwy?" he asked.

  "Fled to Kush, it seems," Neferronpet replied. "I send word to Khaemter, but he says he has not seen your brother or the men who accompanied him." The Tjaty snorted. "How he can fail to find five hundred men using the King's Road into Kush baffles me."

  "Perhaps Khaemter is not as loyal as he claims to be."

  "Will you recall him? Or dismiss him?"

  "I haven't decided. If he really is loyal to Messuwy, then removing him from office might precipitate open rebellion. I don't want that."

  "You can't afford to ignore it."

  "And I won't," Seti said sharply. "I have other things to concern me right now, like my coronation. I am king already but I must be seen to be accepted by the gods. Is all in readiness, Bakenkhons?"

  "Yes, Son of Re, but... would it not be better to wait for Roma-Rui to return to Waset? He is much more experienced..."

  "And a lot less loyal," Seti finished. "I want you, Bakenkhons, so just do it."

  "As you command, Son of Re."

  The three men started walking back down to the road where chariots awaited them, the soldiers tramping along beside them.

  "Have you decided on your throne names?" Neferronpet asked.

  Seti nodded. "I intend to honour Re and Ptah."

  "Not Amun?" Bakenkhons asked.

  "Not if I'm ruling from Men-nefer." Seti grimaced. "I have no great
quarrel with Amun or Waset, but my heart is in the north and my royal names will reflect that. Userkheperure Setepenre Seti Meryenptah."

  "Powerful are the manifestations of Re, the chosen one of Re, Seti, beloved of Ptah," Neferronpet murmured. "That will gnaw at the liver of the priests of Amun. No offence, Bakenkhons."

  The acting Hem-netjer of Amun kept his tongue silent and his face impassive, bowing his head to the inevitability of the king's decision.

  "Day after tomorrow then?" Seti asked.

  "That is the most auspicious day, Son of Re."

  "Then open up the granaries and slaughter cattle, Neferronpet, brew beer and open up the wine jars. Let us give the people of Waset something to remember."

  "May I remind you that Waset is but one city? If you are this generous everywhere, you will soon strip the royal treasury."

  "Hmm, a good point. Tell the nobles then that I expect them to give of their wealth in celebration of my coronation. Note down the names of any that are slow to give or stingy."

  "It shall be done, Son of Re," Neferronpet said with a smile.

  * * *

  The ceremonies of the coronation were designed to lower the king to the level of a commoner before raising him to the level of a god on earth. Seti stood outside the Great Temple of Amun in Waset, clad only in a simple linen kilt, his feet bare in the dust still cool from the night, and the shadow of the pylon chilling his body. He had fasted since the previous night and would eat nothing until the feast that night, but he thrust the pangs of hunger and thirst to one side and concentrated on the gateway ahead of him where he saw movement in its shadowed depths.

  Horns sounded deep within the temple complex and Seti strode forward, his bare feet kicking up the dust as he passed through the gateway of the pylon into the courtyard beyond. The early morning light had not yet turned the courtyard into the furnace it would later become, but the sun's rays struck his shaved head with pleasant warmth. Priests awaited him in the courtyard, crowds of them of every god of the multitudes that guided the land of Kemet. Priests of Amun predominated within this precinct of Amun, but Seti could see those of Ptah and Geb, Set and Re, and the sight warmed his heart. The nobility of Kemet stood to one side, men and women, to watch the cleansing and elevation of this son of Baenre. Later, the common people would be let in to acclaim and celebrate the presence of the god-on-earth.

  Bakenkhons stepped out from amongst the priests of Amun and led Seti to the Lake of Cleansing, a large shallow pool of water off to one side. Standing knee-deep in the cool water, Seti allowed his kilt to be stripped from him and he stood naked before the mass of people. Now four gods drew near, men dressed as gods, but in the context of the holy place it was as if the gods themselves walked the land.

  Djehuti, face masked with an ibis beak, stepped down into the water, his robes clinging to his legs, dipped a golden vessel into the clear water of the sacred pool and straightened, facing the young king at the southern end of the pool. The god-priest Set was next, his masked face drawn out into a curved muzzle with erect ears. He dipped his golden vessel and faced the king from the northern end. He was followed by falcon-beaked Heru Behutet who took up his position in the east, and Heru Dunawy, also hawk-headed, who faced the king from the west.

  "The water of divine life transforms man to god," Djehuti said, his voice muffled by the mask. "Enter into the presence of the gods and be welcome." He lifted the golden vessel and poured a stream of pure water over Seti's head. One by one, the other god-priests drew close, uttered the same words and likewise poured the water of cleansing over the young king.

  Priests waded into the pool and guided Seti out, drying him with clean linen and dressing him in linen that had never yet touched the body of man. Two other priests, representing the gods Atum and Heru of the Horizon took him by the hands and guided him forward, into the Hall of Jubilation. The light from many torches shone in the darkness of the hall, reflecting off the beaten electrum sides of two tall obelisks, dazzling his eyes. Seti looked away into the dim recesses where rows of papyrus ribbed columns marched into the shadows. Released by the two god-priests, Seti walked alone to a great pavilion of stone in the northern part of the Hall, the Per-neser or House of the Flame. Here other gods in the guise of men greeted him, raising aloft hymns of joy as the newest god, the divine king of Kemet, was welcomed into their midst.

  Exiting from the northern pavilion, Seti crossed the floor of the great Hall of Jubilation to the southern side where another stone pavilion loomed. The inside was dark with only a single torch to dispel the gloom. Shadows leapt and danced and scales rasped against the stone floor as Wadjet, the cobra protector of the kings of Kemet emerged from her shrine. The snake approached, its glittering eyes black and expressionless, its tongue flickering as it tasted the air, seeking any fear the figure of the man might exhibit.

  Seti stared at the snake, knowing its bite was death. Is this how it will be done? he thought. Will the priests of Amun encompass my death here within the god's holy place? He stood still as the cobra reared up, its head swaying at waist height, its neck expanded in a great hood. It hissed, and before he could move, it struck. He felt the open mouth of the cobra strike his right thigh, felt needle-sharp teeth prick his skin, and fought back the cry of anguish that rose in his throat. If I am to die, I will do so with dignity, not weeping like a child.

  The cobra withdrew a pace and reared again, but this time a figure of a man, a priest, detached itself from the shadows and slipped forward to stand beside the snake. Bending, the priest picked up the hissing serpent and draped its coils around him. He stared at Seti and smiled.

  "Wadjet, daughter of Amun, accepts you."

  Seti stared back wordlessly. His hand slid down to where the cobra had struck him, his fingers trembling slightly as they sought the puncture marks of the fangs.

  "She struck without her fangs," the priest said. "If she had not accepted you, you would be dead already. Go now and take up your throne, divine one."

  I... I have not heard of any king killed during the ceremony. Does Wadjet never use her fangs...does she even have fangs?

  Seti turned and left the pavilion and was met by the Iunmutef, or Pillar, representing the god Heru. He welcomed the young man with a smile, comparing him to Asar, reborn from the dead, while an assembly of lesser priests watched in solemn awe.

  "Welcome, Divine One, for you have died to your former life as a man and have been reborn as god-on-earth."

  The Iunmutef took the white conical Hedjet crown of Ta Shemau and placed it on Seti's head, the assembled priests crying out in exultation, praising him as King of Ta Shemau. Iunmutef removed the white crown and replaced it with the red Deshret crown of Ta Mehu. Again the priests cried out, praising Seti as King of Ta Mehu.

  Other crowns followed, the Double or Padsekhemty crown, the Atef crown of Re, the Seshed headband used on informal occasions, the Ibes crown, and several headdresses that represented the king's power and majesty in any foreseeable circumstance. Each time, the assembled priests cried out, praising their king. Finally, the Iunmutef lowered the blue leather war crown or Khepresh onto Seti's head, and left it there. He fastened a giraffe's tail to Seti's belt and attendants brought new sandals with figures of the Nine Bows, the nine traditional foes of Kemet, engraved on their soles. With every step he took, Seti would be symbolically treading his enemies underfoot.

  Atum and Heru of the Horizon now guided the king deeper into the temple, to the innermost shrine of Amun, where the god's holy light glowed. The walls of the shrine were carved of rose quartz so thin the light shone through, bathing everything in a dim red light. Amun, ram-headed, and bearing the solar disk on his head, stood within the shrine and Seti gasped when he saw the god, his heart suddenly hammering in his chest. Then he noticed the god's fingers twitching and realised this was just a man posing as the god. He calmed down, and knelt at the god's feet. Amun leaned down and removed the Khepresh crown, lifting it and then replacing it on Seti's head.

&nb
sp; "Accept this crown from your father Amun."

  Seti backed out of the shrine and turned to find a hundred smiling faces. Priests of every god awaited him, and even the senior priests who had played the part of the gods had divested themselves of their masks and greeted him as men. They led him to a low throne on a raised dais in the open courtyard of the temple where thousands of people crowded in to view their new king. Five priests now moved to the front and addressed the young man sitting on the throne.

  "Let Heru empower you," cried the first priest. "Your name in Heru shall be Kanakht Werpehti, Strong Bull, Great of Strength."

  "Nekhabet and Wadjet name you also," the second priest said. "Your name of Nebty shall be Nakhtkhepesh-der-pedjut, He who strikes victoriously the Nine Bows."

  "The gods recognise you as their son on earth," said the third. "Heru Nebu names you Aaneruemtawnebu, He whose victories are great in all the lands."

  "Nesut-byt, King of Ta Mehu and Ta Shemau, North and South," cried the fourth priest. "Userkheperure Setepenre, Powerful are the manifestations of Re, the chosen one of Re."

  "Sa-Re, Son of Re," the fifth priest said. "Seti Meryenptah, Seti, beloved of Ptah."

  Complete silence hung over the forecourt of the Great temple of Amun for the space of three breaths, and then a swelling murmur broke forth as the listeners, the witnesses to the new king's naming realised that he had excluded the god Amun from his titles. Re, Set, and Ptah were named, but Waset and Amun would have no hold on this new king. His father Baenre had stepped away from Amun, and now his son had continued his action. The forecourt buzzed with conjecture as the people of Waset viewed their fresh-faced young king and the unhappy looks on the faces of the priests of Amun.

  Userkheperure Seti arose and made his way to the processional chariot, leading the troops of the Ptah and Amun legions through the streets of Waset under the silent gaze of the populace. Once back in the old palace, Seti tossed his Khepresh crown to a servant and demanded wine. While he refreshed himself, Besenmut, Merenkhons and Neferronpet entered and stood close by, waiting until their king deigned to notice them.